The Genesis Group

by Mike Dagons

  Alone with his thoughts, for the first time since he was a kid, Melvin felt like crying. The job had busted open his closet of dark secrets, and the skeletons from his past where haunting him. His daughter had been abused, and the thought of it ripped his heart to shreds.

  The job was important, but Bender was right. He had to take some time to untangle his personal life from it before his marriage got pushed too far off track.

  “Sam,” he murmured, and then lifted his feet off the floor and stretched out on his back. She hadn’t spoken to him since she learned about Melvina. It had cut her deep, and she was making him watch her bleed out.

  “She has to talk to me.” He called her cell and let it ring until her voicemail picked up.

  He hung up without leaving a message, and then called her office. Her assistant put him through. “Sam Jawlins,” she answered formally even though she knew it was him.

  “You still mad at me?” he asked softly.

  “Yeah,” she answered dryly. “What’s up? I’m off to court in a minute, so I don’t have time to talk.”

  “Sam, please,” he begged. “Please stop shutting me out, and talk to me. I know that I’ve hurt you, but being alienated from you like this is killing me.”

  “I’m not just hurt, Melvin. I’m frustrated, and I’m angry, and I’m scared,” she sighed.

  “Scared?”

  “Scared that you have another child someplace you don’t know about. Scared that it wasn’t the first or last time you got drunk and slept with some other woman.”

  “I didn’t,” his voice was tight.

  “How do you know that, Melvin? You don’t remember Melvina’s conception. How can you be certain you didn’t father a half dozen more babies?”

  “Samantha, I’ve never made a habit of getting drunk. My bachelor party was an exception. You know I’m not a heavy drinker. I know that I don’t have anymore children because I haven’t been that drunk since my bachelor party. I am certain that I haven’t fucked another woman since I said I do. Janie was able to trick me because I trusted her. I swear she never told me about her pregnancy or Melvina’s birth. My gut is telling me that I still don’t know the real reason for any of it.”

  “A woman who goes through that much trouble is thinking with her heart. I believe that her reason is she loves you.”

  “Janie doesn’t love anybody but herself. Melvina is my daughter, but she is not a bond between us.”

  “Not true, Melvin. She loves her daughter. I could hear it in her voice. You both love that child. It is a bond that you share with her as much as you do with me. Whether you want to admit it or not, the woman still loves you. Maybe you still love her too,” her voice trailed off.

  “Sam, baby please, you can’t possibly believe that I love anybody but you.”

  “You moved her here to be closer to you, and you cuddled her when you found out she’d betrayed you, when we both know you would have killed anybody else who did what she did.”

  “I moved her here because her cyber skills are exceptional, and she’s a top rate field agent. Dad asked me not to kill her because of Mel, and that kid is the only reason I didn’t. Janie wanted to hurt me, and because she knew something about my past, she knew exactly how to do it.”

  “Did you love her, Melvin,” she asked quietly.

  Melvin could tell that she was crying, and he wanted to wrap her in his arms and comfort her. “Baby, no I didn’t. And I never told her that I did. I’d never been in love before I met you. The first time I saw you. I wanted you. I love you, Sam, and the thought of losing you breaks my heart. I don’t want to lose you, baby.”

  “Well, she loves you, and she’s not giving up.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that she called you?”

  “You have enough on your mind without having to worry about her fucking with me.”

  “I’m sorry that she called you. After this is over, I’ll make sure that it never happens again,” he promised.

  “You had better not be telling me what I think you’re telling me. Dad was right. She is your daughter’s mother,” she hissed.

  I’m wrong if I don’t kill her, and wrong if I do, he thought, but it was not the time to point out how irrational she was being. It was time to beg for forgiveness, so he pushed the argument out of his mind, and answered humbly.

  “I am trying to make it right between us, Sam. These last few weeks have been unbearable. I’ve tried not to worry, but I just can’t help it,” he used Bender’s words. “I’m scared to death that this has made you stop loving me. Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”

  “I want you to love me above anything else. The way I love you,” she said after a long pause.

  “Baby, I do,” he closed his eyes and imagined her face. “I know that I’m pushing my child on you, and I’m so sorry for that, but she needs me, Sam. If you need me to find someplace else for her, then I will do that. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you from leaving me.”

  “No, I don’t want that…I’d never ask you to do that,” her voice cracked. “Melvina is a sweet kid, and I want us to keep her. She loves you, and she’s so happy to be a part of our family. You know she started calling me mama, like Kendall does. It’s starting to feel like she’s really my daughter.”

  “Baby, I know this is hard for you.”

  “Melvin, I love you, and I’m prepared to fight for you, but I need to know I’m fighting because you want this marriage as much as I do.”

  “Sam, I do,” he sighed softly. “There is nothing on earth that I want more.”

  “Then we’ll work it out. I have to go. Tell Bender I said thanks for keeping his big mouth shut.”

  “We put him in a tough spot, you know?”

  “I know…tell him I said thanks for caring,” she chuckled.

  “I’ve missed you so much. I’m glad to hear you laughing again.”

  “You’re just horny. Go back to work, and keep your head in the job. I’ll see you when I see you,” she ended the called.

  “You damn right I’m horny,” he said to the dead phone. She hadn’t let him touch her in weeks.

  Knowing he hadn’t lost her took a load off his mind, and in the mist of all that was going on, he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks.

  Chapter 24

  “Mr. Williams, I hope that you’re happy with your suite,” the teenage white boy escorting them sat their bags down in a bedroom large enough to be a double suite “Your room is next door, Mr. Pearson. I can carry your bag over. It’s not a problem.”

  They had instructed him to take all the bags to Choc’s room. “Thank you, but this is fine,” he went into his pocket and handed him a hundred dollar bill.

  “Thank you, sir!” he beamed. “If you need anything else, please let me know.”

  “I will, and thank you,” he took his arm and guided him out the door.

  “Another Benjamin,” Rayce smiled.

  D’Agon took out his computer, and keyed in the code Bender had given him to block the audio feed in their rooms.

  “I’m fucking mega rich. A Benjamin is like a buck to me,” he said when he got the okay that the room was secure.

  “Alright then,” she grinned.

  “How good is that thing?” Choc asked.

  “It’s a signal interrupter. It’s Bender’s, so it’s good. They can’t hear us, but they can still see us, so angle your face away from the camera when you talk just in case they got somebody reading lips.”

  “Really, you think they’re going to try to read our lips?” Rayce laughed.

  “You want to be safe, or sorry?” he asked.

  “You starting to sound like your mentor,” she joked, but she covered her mouth.

  “We decided to leave the video functional so it’ll look like the problem with the audio is natural.”

  “Basin has the place locked down pretty tight, so I don’t know how much freedom we’re going to have,” Choc said. “I think we should test it.”


  “Okay, let’s get in the mix,” D’Agon entered a lock out code on his notebook. “I’m ready.”

  They walked out the room, and saw two guards posted at each end of the wide hall leading to the staircase. The hallways were crowded with people who also had a mind to explore.

  They noted that some guests were openly armed, but there were quite a few who were not. With the exception of the guards, the house resembled an upscale summer resort. People were laughing, talking, and moving freely, keeping the astrosphere relaxed.

  Their room was on the third level, and D’Agon and Rayce took the stairs, and Choc waited for the elevator. “Going up or down, sir?” The guard posted at the elevator asked him when he stopped and stood there.

  “Down, please.”

  The man pushed the call button for him, and then waited in silence for the car to arrive. “Have a nice day,” he said when the doors opened.

  Choc stepped inside, and pressed the button labeled SB. Enter Code, flashed in red under the keypad on the console. He keyed in the four digit code he’d gotten from Bender, and the elevator started to descend.

  He watched the floor indicator darken, and then the car started slowly descending with a quiet hum. When it came to a stop, he estimated he had gone down approximately thirty feet or more below ground level.

  The doors opened, and Choc was accosted by a man with a gun as soon as he stepped off the car. “Show me your hands!” he barked. “How the fuck did you get down here?”

  “I pressed the button, and rode down.”

  “What he means is you need a code to get to this level.” The stern baritone voice came from behind him.

  Choc turned around slowly, and faced the man behind it— Ceylon Battle.

  “Who gave you the code?” he asked in a nonthreatening tone.

  Melvin had warned him not to be fooled by Mr. Battle’s courteous manner. The muthafucka was a crafty and skilled assassin, and his laid back, polite style, was just an act.

  “Nobody you know,” Choc replied. “I assume you’re more interested in knowing if I got it from one of your men, correct?”

  “Yes sir, it is what I would like to know, but I am also very interested in knowing how you knew you needed to use a code to get down here.”

  “I didn’t know I needed a code until I pressed the button. I keyed in a random code which enabled me to override the restriction program,” he answered coolly.

  “Then I must thank you for finding the flaw in our system. Is there something you were looking for down here?”

  “Just exploring the house; I was hoping to find a wine cellar.”

  “There is one, but security is tight this weekend. You’ll need permission from Mr. Basin to tour it. Would you like me to make that request for you?” he asked politely.

  “Nah, maybe later, I think I should check on my people at the buffet.”

  “Very well, Mr. Segal, please remember the dinner party begins promptly at seven,” he stood back and let Choc get back on the elevator, and then he watched him until the doors closed shut.

  Choc pressed the button for one, and then he leaned back against the wall in the car as he rode up. It was his first time meeting Ceylon Battle. He was all smiles, but he never took his hand off his sidearm. His relaxed demeanor was a tactical ploy, but Choc wasn’t fooled by it. The man was posed to strike and terminate with extreme prejudice.

  When the doors opened, Choc stepped off the elevator and right into Janie’s path. She was alone, and clearly as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

  Choc clamped a hand on her arm, and inconspicuously guided her back down the hall. He shoved her into a supply room inside the butler’s pantry, next to the kitchen. Severe had reported it as one of the few places that wasn’t bugged.

  Choc closed the door, and then pushed her up against a wall of shelves stocked with can goods. “What the fuck you doing here?” he squeezed her bicep.

  “I was looking for you,” she whispered urgently. “I am here with Yeltsin, but I’m working for Genesis. He’s going to win the bid for the card, and when he takes possession. I’m going to switch it for you.”

  “You tryná play me, girl?” he frowned.

  “No, I already talked to Ryan and got his okay to do it. I know you think I betrayed the team, but I didn’t. It was all an act to get Yeltsin to trust me. I knew Severe was not ready to handle this job. Using her was going to blow up in our faces, so I made the decision to go against orders, and do it on my own.”

  Choc didn’t try to hide his skepticism. “You talking a good game, but I find it hard to believe you’re working with the man that threatened your life just to help us.”

  “Yeltsin was only pretending to be a threat to me and my family because it was the only way I could get Ryan to help him get an invitation to this thing. He believes that I’m working with him, but I’m not. I know how it sounds…how it looks; me being here with him, but I am not working against you.”

  “Why not just present your plan to Ryan, and skip all the drama?”

  “You know Ryan. He never would have even considered sharing information about the card with that mobster. He would have axed the plan before he even heard it.”

  What she was saying about Melvin was true. He wouldn’t have consented to involving Yeltsin. “So when did you decide to pull this munity?”

  “When Severe prematurely made contact with Steven, and Ryan decided to let her act in my place. You know I tried to tell him that she was too immature for this op. We all knew it, but everybody was too polite to back me and say it.”

  “She didn’t plan to block you, you know. The opportunity was there, and she took it. It was the smart thing to do.”

  “I know, and I’m not placing blame. If she had let Steven get robbed, it would have ruined everything too. I’m not saying intervening wasn’t the right thing to do, but allowing her to take the lead was not a smart call. Steven Chandler was not fooled by her dumb white girl act, and the little information she was able to get from him wasn’t worth the time invested.”

  She was presenting some valid points, and her story was sounding convincing, but he’d been in the game too long to accept anything at face value. “So, you’re telling me that Ryan wants me to back off and trust you and Yeltsin to get the card for us?”

  “I’m not working with Yeltsin, I’m using him. He’s in love with me, and he trusts me because he thinks that I love him too. We’re sharing a room, so when he gets the card, it’ll be easy for me to switch it. It’s the best way to get the card, and it will not jeopardize any of you.”

  “And you ran this by Ryan, and he’s onboard? I should back off and let you take lead?”

  “Yes, but I will need your help.”

  “You want me to help you?” he looked amused.

  “I don’t expect you to trust my word on any of this, but think about it. What have you got to lose? None of us can leave this place until the auction is over, so it’s not like I can disappear with the card. My plan is failsafe.”

  “How you so sure Yeltsin is going to win the bid? His worth don’t compare to half the people here.”

  “He has the best e-geek money can buy working for him, and some very influential backers. He’s developed a software program that will allow him the use of unlimited funds. He’s guaranteed to outbid everyone here, and after Basin turns over possession of the card, I’ll switch it for the duplicate Bender created. Severe has it, right?”

  “Did Ryan say she has it?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered confidently.

  Choc only smiled. Now he knew she was lying, or at least she was lying about some of it. He didn’t know why she was really there, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t to help them. Her plan did sound good, so he was going to talk to Ryan before he dismissed her idea.

  “I helped Bender come up with the idea for developing the duplicate, you know? I figure he’s finished it, or you wouldn’t be here. The people backing Yeltsin are going to meet h
im at the gate with a small army. It’ll cost a lot of bloodshed to take that card from him by force. Letting me switch it while he’s here will be neat and safe. It’s a golden opportunity.”

  “So, I give you the duplicate, you switch it, and give me the real card?”

  “Yes, I can make the switch without him even knowing it until it’s too late for him to do anything about it. He’ll think Basin is behind it, and the fallout will be directed at him. It’s a solid plan with absolutely no risk to Genesis. All you have to do is trust me.”

  “Is that all?”

  “I swear I’m playing it straight, Choc. Please, verify it with Ryan.”

  “My name is William Segal,” he corrected her.

  Her plan was the safest way for them to get the card, so he was going to forgo Ryan’s approval, and just do it. “When are you planning to make the switch?”

  “I need to have the card by the time Yeltsin wins tomorrow night.”

  “The auction is going to be tonight, and you’ll have it, if I decide to play along.”

  “The invitation says the auction is tomorrow night? When did it change?”

  “The date we were given is a ploy. My source says it’ll most likely happen tonight.”

  The door suddenly started to ease open behind her. Choc reacted instinctively, pulling her into his arms, and kissing her. He pretended to be caught up in the passion of the moment, and ignored the man standing there watching them.

  Janie followed his lead without any coaxing. She tugged at his shirt like she was trying to help him out of it.

  “Uh, excuse me, Mr. Segal. May I have a word?”

  Choc stopped kissing her, and looked over her head at Mark standing in the doorway. “What’s up?” he sounded annoyed by the interruption.

  Janie backed away from him, nervously straightening her clothes. “Excuse me,” she pushed by Mark in a rush out the door like she was embarrassed.

  “I see your reputation is well deserved,” he grinned.

  “You are?” Choc asked like he didn’t know.

  “Mark Basin, my father would like a word with you.”